Round-the-Clock Purple and Gold

It initially appeared the Lakers somehow acquired Phoenix forward Amare Stoudemire with the postseason just underway. But the man shooting at the Lakers' practice facility Monday with the orange-tinted glasses was actually reserve center D.J. Mbenga, who had laser surgery Saturday to repair a retinal hole.

It has been an adversarial turn of events for Mbenga lately, who had two visits to seek medical attention regarding two different incidents. On Friday, he consulted a neurologist Friday after getting elbowed in practice. The following day he had laser surgery after getting poked in the eye. In addition to missing Game 1 of the first round against Oklahoma City Sunday, Mbenga relied on text messages from teammates to keep him informed regarding the Lakers' eventual 87-79 victory over the Thunder. Doctors didn't want Mbenga to watch the game on television because of concerns involving his eyes constantly following sudden movement.

"All day yesterday, I had to stay in bed," said Mbenga, who plans to get reevaluated Tuesday. "It was really really bad."